The dispensing of goods is a common practice that can often be time consuming and prone to error, particularly when performed manually. The automation of dispensing can improve both efficiency and accuracy of the dispensing operation; however, different types of articles necessarily require different types of dispensing. Further, automated dispensing can be costly, and if the dispensing operations are not frequent enough, or there is a low-risk associated with errors, the cost of automation may not be justified.
One particular field in which dispensing accuracy is critical is that of medication dispensing. Medication dispensing, such as in healthcare facilities, can be a complex and time consuming process. With medication orders changing, and with the significant potential ramifications of dispensing the incorrect medication to a patient, the process of delivering medication from the central pharmacy to the patient can be a high-risk process in a healthcare setting.
Healthcare facilities generally dispense medications from a central pharmacy to patients with a number of verification steps performed along the way to ensure that the medication is of the correct type and dose and that the appropriate patient receives the medication. The verification steps may add complexity and time to the process, thereby reducing the efficiency. Therefore it may be desirable to implement apparatuses, systems, and methods which may automate some or all of the process and which may increase the efficiency with which medications are delivered to a patient.